title: Increased aortic stiffness and related factors in patients with peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: A number of conditions have been associated with functional changes of large arteries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with aortic stiffness in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The authors studied 86 patients with PAD (ankle-brachial pressure index [ABPI] ≤0.9) and 86 controls. Aortic stiffness was determined by pulse wave velocity (aPWV) using applanation tonometry. In PAD patients, aPWV was higher compared with controls (11 ± 3 vs 9.8 ± 1.8; P=.002). In multiple regression analysis, aPWV was independently associated with pulse pressure (β=0.05, P=.01) in the PAD patients and with age in the control group (β=0.08, P=.0005). The results of this study confirm an aPWV increase in patients with PAD and emphasize the association between blood pressure and aPWV. Further studies are necessary to assess whether higher aortic stiffening adds prognostic value to ABPI, which is the most powerful prognostic indicator in PAD.
authors.affiliation: Research Center on Vascular Diseases and Angiology Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scandale
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carzaniga
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cinquini
authors.forename: Marzio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minola
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carotta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D001011:Aorta / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*